Greatness Through Blood
by ClarinetRox88
Summary: Laeneia Lachance was simply a normal farmgirl, going back home after a vacation to visit her dead ancestress in Cyrodiil. On her way back into Skyrim, she is captured by Imperials and brought to Helgen, where she begins following the road of her destiny... Marcurio X Female Nord Dragonborn.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Skyrim fic, so don't hate me if its horrible. But, please, no flames. If you want to give me an OC to use later, give me one. Just no Dragonborns, obviously. and you'll have to excuse her attitude later- the stubborness and such is like me, and I can be so stubborn and witty. Just- sorry in advance.**

had always hated crowds, but had forgotten why. Now I remembered, as I made my way away from my great-great-great-grandmothers grave, they were filled with idiots celebrating her life on the two-hundredth anniversary of her death. That was funny because she had been the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, a Dark Elf vampire, and a member of the thieves guild. I scowled at a man who tried to push past me, and thanked Talos nobody knew of my heritage. Because my three-times-great grandmother was Nerevar Dieti, the Hero of Cyrodiil.

I had decided to take a break from the farm up in Skyrim and come down to the Imperial City for a month or so. I told my parents I would be back soon, packed up, and rode off in a hired carriage. Of course, when I reached the border I had to verify my identity, and then show that I wasn't smuggling anything, and _then_ wait for an hour as the imperial idiot checked my passport. Then he finally let me into Cyrodiil. The first person I ran into? A Thalmor Justiciar, who immeadiatly asked if I worshiped Talos.

"No," I had said, head held high, wincing inside at my words, "Talos is a false diety!" _Sorry, Talos,_ I added in my head. The Justiciar nodded and waved my carriage on. I had finally reached the Imperial City and was exhausted, so I rented a room at the (still standing) Tiber Septim hotel, paying an extra ten septims to sleep where my ancestor slept. _What a ripoff_, I had thought, before dreams overtook me.

Now I was headed back there, and was still glaring daggers at the crowd when I heard a voice say, "A septim for the poor?"

It was an old woman, and I readily gave her ten septims, before asking her where the thieves guild fences were. She acted like she didn't know anything and ran away, leaving me sighing in the middle of the street, covered in dust and sweat, and longing to get back to my hotel for a bath and a hot meal. I was about to do just that when I was interrupted _again_.

"Excuse me, ma'am," said a male voice, and I turned to see a courier, "This is from General Tullius." He handed me a scroll, which, after untying, read,

_Dear Madam Laeneia Lachance-  
We are very saddened to announce that your parents were killed in a battle on Sundas during the last week of Mid Year. The Imperial Soldier who killed them, having mistaken them for Stormcloak Soldiers, was executed Morndas morning. It seems they were attacked by bandits, escaping the raid with their most valuable posessions, and sought refuge with the stormcloaks. I express my deepest regrets that your holiday must be interrupted by this, but your parents chose the wrong side in a war that has ended many lives. Their valuables are waiting for your pick up in the Blue Palace, in Solitude._

_Deepesst Regrets,_

_General Tullius_

I glared at the sheet of paper. The wrong side? Since when are refugees killed in a raid on a camp! They never were in normal army raids. The Imperials were becoming no better than bandits, and it was because they had forgotten the first rule of war- Leave the innocent be! My parents had been scared, probably injured, and could not have made the long journey to a city, so sought refuge at a military camp. And- and General Tullius? Deepest regrets? Really? How fake could you get? _I'm sorry, _I mimed in my head, _your whole army was killed by one man- don't worry, he was promptly executed. Deepest Regrets, but you guys got in the way of his blade._ I was steaming mad, and instead of spending the night at the Tiber Septim, decided to gather my things and hire a carriage to go back home.

I looked at myself in the mirror in my room, pinning up my pale blonde hair and pulling up the hood on my pale blue robes while my cold blue eyes stared back at me. My skin was as pale as ever, and, being mostly nord, I hardly felt the cold of Cyrodiil's night- but still I shivered. I had lost everything- all I could hope was that my mother had saved Nerevar's diary… That way I would have someone, long dead though she was, who had been through this same thing. Except for hopefully I wouldn't end up in jail for no reason. Yea, that would be nice. I left the hotel, and Imperial City, without looking back once.

I hired a carriage outside of the walls, tipping the nice man to take me as close to the border as he could manage- not to close, because, as he put it, he "wanted to keep his head firmly upon his shoulders." Sometimes I saw why my kinsmen thought so lowly of other races- imperials were _cowards_! But still, sitting in the back of a jostling wagon, heading resoutly towards Bravil, I fancied myself my Dark-Elf ancestress, riding to save the city from the oblivion gate that had sprouted up outside. Yes, I was Nerevar Dieti the fearless, hero of Kvatch, Dark Brotherhood listener, and _I _was strong. I would kill the idiotic Daedra and send Daedric Prince whats-his-name sniveling back to his mother- wait, did Daedric Princes _have _mothers?

Nevermind, I really didn't want to know if they did or not. I looked up at the sky, Nirns giant moon shining down on me with reds and blues, and the sky around it glimmering with stars. I ifelt almost free, being almost to the border, anyway. With a shudder, the wagon stopped and I sent a thanks over my shoulder, grabbing my bag and leaping, cat-like, out of the wagon. I landed on my feet gracefully, and flicked the Imperial another Septim. Looking up, I noticed thunder cloud broiling on the horizon, and moving fast towards me. Touching my amulet of Mara, I made note of the lightning that seemed to rip open the sky, turning it the red of blood… and the skies of Oblivion. I shuddered, glad the woman I knew as grandmother had closed all the oblivion gates, and had still had time to write in her journal about how,(quote) "Martin Septim can't keep his sorry butt out of trouble for more than a second" and how he "had to go summon Akatosh to send what's-his-name back to Oblivion, before dying. I mean, sure, whats-his-name tried to kill us all, but I would of kicked his Daedric butt and not died, without summoning a divine."

It had always made me laugh, and I laughed again, recalling it. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the soft leather cover and-_what in the name of Talos_? I stumbled as an arrow flew by, inches from my nose, and I spun with it, watching it go _think_ and stick into a tree trunk. Pulling it out, I noticed a band of red on the shaft. _Imperials,_ I thought, looking up. They must have mistaken me for a stormcloak in my blue outfit.

"Aaaaargh!"

"Aaaaaa!"

The Imperial charged, war axe raised, and I screamed, ducking, and shouting, "I'm innocent! A traveler! Put that axe down!"

The imperial stopped, but still said, "You have committed crimes against Skyrim and her people. What say you in…huh?"

I had taken off, hood flying back as I jumped over a fallen log and swearing as I toppled into a fine-robed man… who grabbed my arm and pulled me along behind him. We trampled through the forest and into a clearing, where we were grabbed and tied up.

"Innocent!" I screamed, "I'm blasted innocent, you imperial bastards! INNOCENT!"

There was a clang from behind me, a burning pain in my head, and I sank into blissfull unconsciousness.

**This is actually one of my skyrim characters, though she doesnt have a last name. You'll find out... Later why her name is Laeneia Lachance. which, means, literally, "Light the Luck" or "Pure the Luck" No, really. Laeneia is my version of Laney, which means Light, so yea. Please, R&R, and I'm working on my other stories. Dont worry. Brownie points if you can guess who the fine-robed man is, and why her last name is Lachance- PM me if you think youve got the answer, or if youve got an OC.**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Are you, Are you/ coming to the tree/Where they strung up a man they say/murdered three"_

I was awoken rather rudely by the _thunk-thump_ of wagon wheels going over uneven ground, chafed wrists, and a blonde nord going,

"hey, you're finally awake?"

"Shaddup" I muttered, shaking my head and noticing my blonde hair was dirty. "where the hell am I?"

"In an imperial prison wagon- hey, you walked into that ambush too, just like us and that thief over there."

I turned my head and noticed another nord, in prison clothes, with auburn hair and brown eyes.

"Damn you Stormcloads," said Thief, "Skyrim was fine before you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell!"

I grinned a tiny bit, before wincing as another bump saw my shoulders scraped against the wood of the cart. Looking down, I saw myself in prison clothes, and reality sank in.

"Gods," I said, "I'm in a prison cart. For no reason. I'm an innocent in a prison, like grandmother, and…" I trailed off. I had my grandmothers blood in me, and a penchant for trouble. I really hoped disaster didn't strike as I was being held in prison. But I freaked out anyway.

"I'm going to die… DIE! No wait…" I said, "Your'e going to die!" I pointed at horse-thief, and he looked at me strangely. Sighing I shook my head. "Never mind. Anyone know if Daedra have mothers?"

The thief muttered something and looked at a nobleman with a gag around his mouth. "Whats wrong with him?"

"Watch your mouth," said blondie, "That's Ulfric Stormcloak your talking to."

"The Jarl of Windhelm? But if they've captured you… Gods, where are they taking us?" The thief freaked out, trying to escape.

"I ran into the Jarl of Windhelm? Where my parents are from?" I shook my head. I certainly did have a tendency for trouble, I supposed.

"I don't know, thief," said blondie, because apparently they liked ignoring me, "But Sovngarde awaits."

We were silent for a moment as that sunk in, and finally blondie asked,

"What village are you from, Horse Thief?"

"why?"

"A nords last thoughts… should be of home."

"Rorikstead," he said, "I'm from Rorikstead."

"And you, lass?" asked blondie, looking at me, "Where're you from?"

"Riften," I said proudly, "home of the thieves guild." I laughed, but no one else did.

"I'm not a thief," I said sighing. My humor was lost on them. "And I was only born in Riften, anyway. I lived most my life in Shor's Stone, but my farm was destroyed when I was in Cyrodiil, my parents killed."

Blondie looked at me with pity, but I shook it off.

"We're here."

"Ahh, Helgen," said Blondie, "I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in."

"I could use some mead right now," I said as we moved into the town square. We stopped and stood, leaving the wagon to stand in front of two imperials.

"Damned Thalmor are here too," said blondie as the imperial captain spoke up.

"Step up to the block when we call your name, prisoners!"

"Empire loves their damned lists," blondie said, and I grinned.

"Lokir of Rorikstead. " The horse-thief began to freak out.

"No, you have to understand! I don't belong here, I'm no rebel!" he took off running towards the gate. The imperial captain raised an arm.

"Archers, take aim."

"You'll never kill me!" shouted Lokir, but the captain shouted "Fire!" and arrows rained down

"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm."

"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric," said Blondie. Man, he liked to say 'damned' and make comment on peoples sentences.

"Ralof of Riverwood."

"Bye, Ralof." I whispered, and he nodded, walking towards the block.

"Who are you?" asked the list bearer, and I scowled, saying, "Laeneia Lachance."

"what should we do captain?" asked list man, "She's not on the list."

"To hell with the lists," said the Captain(who I decided to call Captain Contradictory), "She goes to the block."

" I'm sorry kinsman," said list man.

"Not a stormclaok!" I shouted at Captain Condradictory, but followed her to the Happy Line of Death by Beheading.

"Give them their last rights," said a short balding man with grey hair, who I recognized as General Tullius. Mindlessly angry, I shouted at him,

"Tullius, what happened to me getting my belongings? Or are you too cowardly to give an orphan what belongs to her?"

He ignored me, and a priestess came forward and said,  
"As we commend your souls to Atherius, blessing of the eight divines upon you…"

"For the love of Talos, get on with it already," said a stormcloak, stepping forward. Moments later, his head rolled and Ralof made a remark about his fearlessness. I grinned momentarily, surprised at the guys amazing lack of fear. Heck, if I was a wanted criminal, I'd be cowering in my boots(not anymore, mind you. I've been a wanted criminal so many times now…). However, I had no time for happy monologues or final words, because I was called up next.

"I don't like the look on her face."

_Oh, _I thought, _So now prisoners can't even enjoy their last moments! Someday I'll kill you all… If I survive._

"Step up to the block prisoner… nice and easy…"

I did as I was told, though I was quivering-in anger, mind you, not fear. I was _not _afraid to die, because I would get to Sovngarde, and the Imperials wouldn't. Okay, so maybe I was a _little_ scared, but not that much. So I knelt at the block, had Captain Contradictory stomp her boot onto my back, and I got to watch as the headsman raised his giant axe, and prepared to bring it down.

And for the first time in my nineteen-year life, I felt rational fear. When I was young, the only thing that scared me was the pitch-darkness. Not saber cats, not wolves, not bandits- I scoffed when they were mentioned and hefted my wooden sword. But the dark… It caused me to hide beneath my blankets and pray to all nine divines. But I was still brave, and though a quivered slightly, I looked up at the headsman and scowled. He began to swing it forward…

…But first there was a roar that knocked the headsman back.

"What was that?" screamed an imperial, and Tullius said, "Nothing. Commence."

So the headsman raised his axe again, and another roar knocked him back- but this time it was accompanied by some sort of monster. It shouted something, and I was thrown off of the block. My vision went blurry, and when I stood up, I saw Ralof crouching nearby, and he motioned me over.

"Follow me!" he said, and I did, sprinting into the (relative) safety of a tower. As I went inside, Jarl Ulfric stuck his face around the doorway, causing me to nearly run into him.

"Hello, Jarl," I said breathlessly, and he frowned, before smiling slightly.

"Sorry for grabbing you back in the forest," he said, "But you would have been captured anyway, and if I didn't, well… worse would have happened."

_Oh_.

"So they thought I was your… your _lover_?" I began to giggle, though I knew what he meant. I was no soldier, yet was a Talos worshipper. Ulfric reddened, and I did to, but Ralof tugged me away, saying,

"Up the tower!"

I began to run, but stopped short when the monster-a dragon-broke through the tower. I admit I screamed, and nearly tumbled down the stairs, but Ralof caught me and pushed me back up. "Jump through to the other side," He said, and seeing my look, said, "Trust me." He looked a little scared, and I understood why- dragons were nothing but a memory, from long ago. I breathed out and nodded, as he said, "I'll see you on the other side."

"Freedom or Sovngarde!" I added before jumping into the burning building below. I landed a bit wonky, rolling my ankle a bit before I managed to do a front roll and stand up, tossing my head to get my hair out of my face.

"_Fun_," I said to no one, before jumping down and landing on my bad ankle. I swore beneath my breath and hobbled outside, only to see the list bearer, an old man, and a _child_ standing in front of the dragon.

"Over here," the list man was saying, but I knew the kid wasn't fast enough, so I jumped in front of the boy without thinking. However, the dragon looked at an injured soldier and fried him with flames before taking off.

"Still alive prisoner? Stick with me if you want to stay that way." Said list man. I wouldn't have, but Ralof still hadn't shown, and I didn't want to wait to get roasted like the poor imperial. So I followed list guy.

He led me all the way to the keep, where I saw Ralof.

"You won't stop us this time, Hadvar!"

"I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"

"Come on, girl!" they both said. With barely a hesitation I went with Ralof. He opened the door for me, since my hands were still bound, and I went inside. Once in, We saw a dead stormcloak.

"Poor Gunjar. He was always the first into battle… Here, let me undo those bonds."

I stood in front of him, presenting my tied hands, and he swiftly worked the knots to come undone.

"Thanks," I said, flexing my fingers, "I can actually feel my hands now."

"Take his gear," said Ralof, "He won't be needing it anymore."

He proceeded to help me strip off Gunjar's armor and boots, along with handing me an iron war axe. Then, after telling me to swing it around a bit, he checked the doors, only to find them locked. He frowned, then froze as we heard voices and footsteps.

"Hide!" he said urgently, and we crouched by both sides of the door, hidden in the shadows. It opened, and in came the imperial captain. I screamed and stood, wacking the woman repeatedly until she was dead, and then well after she had fallen. Finally I stood back and said,

"No one messes with Laeneia Lachance. No one!"

Ralof glanced at me, but shrugged when I said, "They killed my parents."

"C'mon," he said, "Search the bodies to help me find the key." He showed me gently how to find the things the imperials were carrying, and I found the key, a sword which I took to use instead of the war axe, and a helmet. I wore the helmet and slipped my war axe away, before using the key to open the door. Ralof ran out and I followed, picking up a few cabbages on the way. We got down the hallway quite a bit before the dragon collapsed the roof in ahead of us.

"Through the door!" I said cheerily, opening it. I froze for a moment when I saw two more imperials who turned towards us… and attacked.


	3. Chapter 3

**For this chapter I listened to "May it Be" by Enya. The lyrics are from the same song.**

_May it be an evening star shines down upon you  
May it be when darkness falls your heart will be true  
You walk a lonely road  
Oh how far you are from home_

_Mornie utulie_  
_Believe and you will find your way_  
_Mornie utulie_  
_A promise lives within you now_

_May it be the shadow's call will fly away_  
_May it be you journey on to light their day_  
_When the night is overcome_  
_You may rise to find the sun_

_Mornie utulie_  
_Believe and you will find your way_  
_Mornie utulie_  
_A promise lives within you now_  
_A promise lives within you now_

-May it be, Lord of the Rings

So, I'll admit I freaked out. When the Imperials attacked, I screamed and charged them right back. And proceeded to hack them into tiny bits, after taking their gold. Then, I found some potions, grabbed some wine, and proceeded to follow Ralof out of the room. We walked past a few cells, before we came to a torture room. Well, basically, all that happened from there was a load of flames and lightning, as I toasted the torturer and his assistant. After that we ended up having to kill a bunch of frostbite spiders, and we finally reached the final cavern.

"Wait," said Ralof, "There's a bear over there." I followed his pointed finger, and sure enough, there was a sleeping bear.

"I really don't want to tangle with her right now," he said, "So we could try to sneak by. Or, if you're feeling lucky…" He handed me a bow and some arrows-"You could try and hit her with this bow. Good luck."

I began to sneak forward, then took out the bow. Nocking an arrow, I pulled it back, breathed, aimed, and released. The arrow shot forward, whistled slightly, and plunged itself into the bears ear. It must have gone all the way into the skull, because as soon as the bear stood to come after us, it keeled over. Still, I nocked another arrow and crept towards the bear, and shot another arrow through the eye. Then, grasping the knife I had picked up, I began to skin the bear. Ralof huffed but stood and waited. After I finished I rolled up the bear skin and slung it over my shoulder. Then we moved towards the exit of the cave, emerging into bright sunlight. I was just about to walk down the path when Ralof pulled me down behind a rock.

"What the freaking _hell_?" I hissed, and he stood up, dragging me with him.

"Good. The dragon is gone. I think we should split up, but my sister lives in Riverwood- she could help you out. Also, you should come up to Windhelm. We could really use your help."

"Really?" I asked, and Ralof nodded, shaking my hand.

"I am proud to call you a friend," he answered, "I will vouch for you."

"I will go- as soon as I can." I replied, before running off in the other direction. I ended up crossing a river and wandering into a forest, where I found an old woman attacking a younger woman who was probably my age- however, she had auburn hair and was shorter than me- probably a Breton. Removing my bow I shot the older woman in the chest, and she fell over. The younger woman extinguished the fire flying from her hands and turned around, facing me with a sly smirk on her face.

"Why thank you," she said, "Although I'm quite sure I could have taken the old Wingbag."

"Sure," I said, grinning back, "You're quite welcome…"

"Loki," she said, shaking my hand, "By the way, are there any towns nearby?"

"Riverwood," I replied, "It's to the North, across the river. I assume you can swim?"

"Oh yes," she said, "And thank you again."

She sprinted off, and dove into the water with enviable grace. I, on the other hand, waded in and shuffled my way across, clumsily swimming when the water was too deep to stand in. I finally managed to go ashore near the mill, and spied Ralof talking to a blonde woman that could only be his sister.

She noticed me before I could even get near.

"And I suppose this is your friend, Ralof?"

"She saved my life," agreed Ralof, "I owe her a debt."

"I never would have made it out of Helgen without the help of Ralof," I said, sticking out my hand, "Laeneia."

"Gerdur," she said, "I own the mill here in Riverwood. Some say I own the town to, but I don't. The Jarl owns the land. I just pay the taxes."

"Nice to meet you, Gerdur," I said, shaking her hand and smiling. In reality, I thought that her greeting had been quite strange, but it would have been rude to say so. "Do you have any supplies I could take?"

"Here," she said, dumping a pack into my arms, and handing me a brass key, "take anything you want- within reason, of course."

"Of course," I said, "I'm no thief. How can I repay your kindness?" As much as I _hated_ being in debt, I figured it was best to repay it as soon as possible.

"If you could just go and ask the Jarl of Whiterun to send more guards our way, consider your debt fulfilled. Riverwood is virtually defenceless if that dragon decides to return."

"Will do," I said, and turned to the north, where I knew Whiterun was.

**Yes, I'm sorry this chapter was short, but it's nearly nine, and I have school tomorrow, and I didn't want to leave you waiting any longer.**

**Bloody NailBunny: Your OC will come in eventually, but Laeneia has to go to the Jarl of Whiterun and do that whole bit first before she runs off to Markarth. Markarth is very important to her though, so Limbo will show up there!**

**Chibi-Chic: Aww, I'm flattered. Really. I'm glad to know my story is your fav Skyrim fic. It tickles me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy, and I do not own Skyrim!**

"What do you _mean_, I can't come in?" I demanded, glaring at the guard as I placed my hands on my hips.

"City's closed with the dragon about. Official business only." Then the guard turned his head and looked at his buddy as if to say _'can you believe this crazy woman?'_

"This _is_ official business, you dolt!" I yelled, waving my arms wildly, "Riverwood calls for aid!"

"Riverwood is perfectly safe," insisted the guard. Angry, I drew my sword and whacked him on the helmet with the handle, causing his buddy to draw his own weapon and come up to me.

"You have commited crimes against Skyrim and her people. What say you in your defense?"

I sighed, hefted my change purse, and said, "I'll pay of my bounty."

"Well, ma'am, you'll have to come up to the keep to make sure you aren't carrying any stolen goods."

_Gotcha!_ I thought, _Now I can get into the city, and Mr. Annoying is knocked out cold._

After paying my bounty and being relieved of my nonexistent stolen goods, I strolled right into Dragonsreach with a grin on my face, ready to tell the Jarl that Riverwood was in danger…

…Only to find the redheaded Breton-Loki, if I remembered correctly- stealing _my_ message.

"My Jarl," she was saying, "Riverwood is in grave danger."

I felt my jaw drop, and I blinked.

"Excuse me, miss. What do you want?"

I turned to see a Dark Elf woman dressed in a warrior's attire hefting her sword at me.

"I escaped from Helgen," I blurted out, "I have news of the dragon attack!"

"Oh." Her face seemed to fall at the thought of not being able to skewer me. "I guess you had better go up then. Jarl Balgruuf," she called, "This woman brings news from Helgen."

The breton spun around and grinned at the sight of me, a crooked grin that was surprisingly genuine.

"Hullo again" she said brightly, clasping my shoulder as I stood by her, "Gerdur sent me in case you didn't make it."

"The guards wouldn't let me in," I said, "I had to whack one over the head so I could pay off a bounty to get into the city."

She laughed, and I had to laugh too; her laugh was infectious. But then we were interrupted in our laughing by Balgruuf, a buff blonde nord with a beard.

"What news from Helgen?" he asked in a deep voice.

"It's been destroyed," I said, "By a _dragon_."

"You're sure?" He asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Yea," I said, then added drily, "I had a _great_ view while the Imperials were trying to _cut my head off_."

His eyebrows flew up.

"You're very open about your criminal past," he said, and I shook my head.

"What criminal past? I was going to pick up my dead parents belongings from Solitude when I got shot at by an imperial soldier and then _tackled_ by Ulfric Stormcloak and _thrown over _his shoulder! And then knocked out! I can't even walk back into my homeland without being arrested!"

Loki was giggling beside me, hiding it behind the hands she had clasped over her mouth.

"I was trying to get some armor when I got attacked by some creepy old witch," she said, "This girl here… uh…"

"Laeneia," I supplied, and she continued with a nod.

"Laeneia saved me."

"I'm sorry for making assumptions," said the Jarl, "If the two of you will follow me, I think I have a job that fits the both of you very well. My court mage is working on a project."

I saw where he was going first, and stepped into a side room, where there stood a man in blue hooded robes.

"Excuse me," I said, recognizing him as a mage, "The Jarl said that you had a project I could help with?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Please. I doubt you'd be of much use."

I sighed and folded my arms.

"Watch out. You're about to step in your own shock rune."

He looked hilariously confused.

"But I never even… ah. I see you have some knowledge of the mystic arts. Maybe you can be of some use to me."

"Farengar!" said the Jarl loudly, making both of us jump, "I see you have already met one of the girls I've hired to help you in your project. This is the other."

Loki smiled and waved, blushing slightly.

_Ooh,_ I thought, _Someone's in love…_

"She's more of a mage than I am," I said, "But I come from a long line of mages and archers, so I've learned to be sneaky when I need to."

"Hullo," she said, stepping forward, "My name is Loki."

Farengar smiled brightly, and I could practically _feel_ him laying on the charm.

"Hello, madam. It is a pleasure to meet a young woman who has interest in the Mystic Arts as I do."

_Divines,_ I thought to myself, _He is so charismatic I think I am going to gag._

Loki, however, seemed smitten, and I had to pinch her hand to get her to get back on task.

"So, what do we have to do?"

"Nothing much," said Farengar, dropping(thank the Divines) the charisma and simply being himself, "Just diving into an ancient ruin full of Draugr to find an ancient artefact that may or may not actually be there."

I sighed and asked, "Alright. Where are we going and what are we fetching?"

"You'll be going to Bleak Falls Barrow to find a Dragonstone," he said, "Which is no doubt interred in the main chamber."

Loki grinned at me and I grinned back, clasping my hands together.

"Well," I said, "This should be _fun_."

"This is the worst thing I have ever done."

Loki glanced over at me as she flamed another Draugr, raising an eyebrow as I sliced off the head of someone who was probably my ancestor.

We had fought off bandits, legions of Draugr, a giant frostbite spider, some elf named Arvel, and had gotten through the puzzle door. Now we were fighting even more Draugr, and I was sick and tired of it. I had numerous bruises and cuts on my body, I was pretty sure a chunk of hair was missing, and my sword arm was getting tired.

Loki, however, looked like she was going for a stroll through town. She was barely hurt- one cut on her upper arm where a Draugr had hit her before either of us could react, and a smidge of frostburn on her hand where another Draugr had hit her with a frost spell.

"We're getting closer," she promised over the din of her flame spell, "See how the horde is getting bigger? Any minute now, it will thin out and we'll be at the main chamber."

"How do you know these things?" I asked, blocking a blow from a female draugr and parrying to slice off her head.

Loki shrugged, switching over to a shock spell, which sent lightning careening into the draugr horde. A few of them fell over, dead, but there was still at least fifteen left.

"I did some ruin-diving with my brother."

I glanced at her again with a look of _'oh, really,'_ on my face as I grabbed my bow and started shooting the draugr instead.

"What…I…Want…to…know…" I said between shots, some of which hit my targets, "Is…why…these…things…are…coming…back…to…life…after…all…these…years."

"Well," said Loki, "They were probably cursed before their deaths, and know they found out about the curse and think we're the people who cursed them."

I swore as a draugr landed a hit, slicing open my arm. Loki, without even looking, shot a healing spell at me, and I shouted a thanks at her before quickly cutting down two more draugr.

"You'd think that you Bretons would be the ones getting reanimated after death," I said, "What with you messing around in the 'mystic arts' and all."

"No, actually," said Loki, "Because we Bretons think to cast spells on the dead that prevent them from rising. You never actually see a reanimated Breton. Nords are actually the most common."

"That's just…" I sliced off another draugr's head…"Because we're masters of battle!"

Loki flamed the last draugr into submission and looked me over, before sighing and handing me a healing potion.

"Here, 'master of battle'." She turned and took out a small blue potion, before sending me a sideways glance and muttering, "More like 'master of getting wounded'."

I downed the healing potion, wincing at the bitter taste. We had found it earlier in the barrow.

"You absolutely sure these things don't go bad?"

She nodded, turning to face the doorway.

"This is it," she muttered, "Beyond this door is the dragonstone."

"More draugr?" I asked, hefting my sword.

"Probably," she said without looking over at me. I stepped forward and grinned.

"Bring it on."

We threw open the doors to reveal a _huge_ cavern, complete with waterfalls and a pool of water. A bridge led over this pool onto a platform, where there was a coffin. Behind the coffin was a curved wall that seemed to have some sort of carvings on it. Stepping across the bridge, I felt something within me dragging me toward the wall. It was like someone had tied a rope around my waist and was pulling me forwards.

"Do you feel that?" asked Loki quietly, her gaze locked on the curved wall. I nodded and gave into the urge, letting my feet carry me over to one carving in particular…

My hand brushed the carving just as Loki's did, and it glowed a bright white-yellow. I heard chanting in my head and then the glow flew from the carving into the both of us.

_Fus_, said a voice in my head, _force._

Behind us, there was a cracking noise and a _thud_. Spinning around, I swore as a Draugr stood up from its crypt and turned to face us. Dashing forward, I drew my sword and swung at the thing…

"FUS RO DAH!"

A solid wall of force slammed into me and sent me flying backwards into a wall, making my vision go black. There was pain everywhere- in my chest, arms, legs, and head- but I stood anyway, stumbling sideways as my vision blacked out for a second, before pulling out my bow and nocking an arrow.

Loki was shooting lightning at the Draugr while it tried to hit her with its war axe. Then, out of nowhere, she pulled a dagger and began using her small stature to her advantage- she'd wait until the thing swung, and then she'd dash in and slice at it with her knife. I drew my bow and aimed, but waited until Loki was a safe distance away before shooting the arrow.

It flew through the air and hit the Draugr in the arm. Not exactly where I was aiming, but it could have been worse, I supposed. And then it got worse, because the Draugr turned its attention back to me. I swore again and stumbled forward, trying to nock another arrow as the Draugr stalked towards me. I was still dazed, however, and I completely missed. Dropping the arrow in anger, I instead used my bow as a club and hit the Draugr over the head with it. Loki quickly swept in and flamed it, stabbing it through the throat. I grabbed my sword and sliced off its head before collapsing onto the ground, my vision going black.

To my surprise, I awoke in a warm bed, staring up at a wooden ceiling. I sat up quickly, spying Loki sitting in a chair at the end of the bed. She smiled at me as I pulled myself out of the bed and stretched, noticing that I was wearing some sort of brown dress. She then held out a suit of leather armor, which I took and pulled on before sending her a confused look.

"I made it with help from the blacksmith," she said, "Your stormcloak armor was really beat up."

"Thank you," I said, taking my sword and bow from the bedside table and then slinging my quiver across my back. Loki nodded and stood, clasping me on the shoulder as I pulled on my boots.

"You were only out for a few hours," she said, "We should probably get back to Whiterun and bring Farengar his Dragonstone."

I nodded and followed her out of the inn, out into the streets of Riverwood. It was early morning, the sun barely peeking over the mountains, and we turned and headed out of town as the mist began to dissipate around us.

"So," I said, "Do you love Farengar?"

**Not really a Cliffhanger, but sorta-kinda.**

**windyshoes: I plan on doing more chapters of this, so here you go!**

**Guest: Well, this chapter is longer, so I hope you enjoyed!**

**Please review, because it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.**


End file.
